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Bingo overlay games system and method

Bingo overlay games system and method description/claims

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/885,965, filed Jan. 22, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for playing Bingo overlay games.

In a conventional 75-number format Bingo game, game cards are issued having numbers and optional free spaces randomly positioned in columns and rows under the letters B-I-N-G-O. Bingo balls are randomly drawn and called in sequence so that players may try to match the called numbers to one or more patterns on their game cards. Electronic versions of Bingo games played on computers connected to local area or wide area networks may automate one or more aspects of play, such as the issuing of game cards to players, the random number draw, and even the matching of called numbers to one or more game cards and identification of the winner. A sequence of calls, such as “B-12”, “G-40”, “I-10”, etc. continues until a player has matched a certain predetermined winning game pattern, such as a column, a row, a diagonal, or a special shape on one or more of the player's game cards. In such conventional Bingo play, the chance of winning correlates to the total number of game cards issued, and the number of winning game patterns being played, and players may have no control over increasing their chances of winning a Bingo game other than to increase the number of Bingo game cards purchased.

Even if a player has purchased a number of game cards to play in a game, if there are many players playing, the chances of holding a winning game card may be small. For example, there may be only one or two winners out of hundreds of players playing the same Bingo game. If winning becomes too difficult, players may get discouraged from continuing to play the game. Also, if players have automated all settings in electronic versions of Bingo games, there may be very little for the player to do.

What is needed is a system and method of playing Bingo which may increase the chance to win, and which may increase player interaction during Bingo game play.

The present invention relates to systems and methods for playing Bingo overlay games.

In an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of playing Bingo on a data processing system, comprising: providing at least one Bingo overlay game configured to be playable on top of an underlying Bingo game; and linking the outcome of the at least one Bingo overlay game to numbers called in the underlying Bingo game.

In an embodiment, the method further comprises displaying a current status of the at least one Bingo overlay game.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises displaying the current status of the at least one Bingo overlay game substantially in real-time, in dependence upon the numbers called in the underlying Bingo game.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises indicating the current status of the at least one Bingo overlay game utilizing a graphic icon; and indicating a change in the current status of the at least one Bingo overlay game with a change in the graphic icon.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises summarizing all of the Bingo overlay games being played in a Bingo overlay games summary screen.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises displaying the Bingo overlay games summary screen in conjunction with at least one screen relating to the underlying Bingo game.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises linking the outcome of the at least one Bingo overlay game to a plurality of numbers called before the last number called in the underlying Bingo game.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises defining the length of the plurality of numbers called before the last number called in the underlying Bingo game to between two and twelve.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises cancelling the at least one Bingo overlay game if the underlying Bingo game ends before the defined length of the plurality of numbers is reached.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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